An FCC official stated that AT&T refused to provide the FCC with an updated count of subscribers which is required while they review AT&T's US$62.4 billion purchase of MediaOne.

AT&T is seeking to avoid an FCC rule that prohibits any single cable TV company from having over 30% of US households as subscribers. The company has asked the FCC to exclude MediaOne from the count of cable customers.

According to numbers on file with the FCC, AT&T-MediaOne–with its Time Warner stake–will serve 40.7% of US households. Analysts predict that AT&T-MediaOne may be forced to sell its 25.5% stake of Time Warner Entertainment. AT&T claims that it did not refuse to give the information to the FCC.

ROB'S OPINION
AT&T used to hold a monopoly on all phone service. Now, it has quickly moved to attempt a monopoly hold on all cable service. AT&T can say there was a misunderstanding, and it's large enough that it can pretend it doesn't know what it's doing.

This scenario is just like how I keep getting billed for AT&T long distance three months after I was supposedly switch over to Qwest long distance. AT&T says it never got the notice from Qwest and refuses to “cancel” my service. However, I have received several calls from AT&T salespeople offering to “bring me back” to AT&T long distance.

The situation is laughable, until you imagine this type of fascist regime taking over not only your long distance service, but also your cable and local telephone service. That's right, folks. MediaOne offers local telephone service over its digital cable lines, and it is now wholly-owned by AT&T. So, AT&T will service up to 40% of US households with cable, local telephone, long distance, and Internet service. Is Ma Bell back in business? Why don't you give us your take on AT&T in our Message Parlor.